Top 5 Weight Loss Mistakes

In years of working with people who were interested in losing weight, we’ve seen five common weight loss trigger mistakes that many of them make. These mistakes often prevent people from being successful in their weight loss efforts. If you can avoid these, you’ll greatly increase your chances of success at weight loss.

Mistake #1 – Not taking the time to plan and prepare your meals and snacks, and your exercise time. This is a critical mistake and one that the vast majority of people make.

Mistake #2 – Not exercising everyday. Do some type of aerobic exercise (walking, jogging, swimming, stationary cycling, aerobic dancing, etc.) on a DAILY basis (preferably in the morning) for 30 to 60 minutes!

Mistake #3 – Not weight training consistently. Tone your muscles with weight training three days per week. Toned muscles look great and they *supercharge* your metabolism causing you to burn more calories 24 hours a day! This should be done just after your aerobic exercise session so that your muscles are warm and supple and less prone to injury.

Mistake #4 – Expecting the scale to drop quickly, and thus becoming discouraged when it doesn’t. You have to commit to consistently doing the right things and it will happen. So many people give-up in frustration after just a few weeks, when they may have been on the brink of seeing some real progress. Progress is very motivating – don’t quit!

Mistake #5 – Believing that they should exercise in the “fat-burning zone.” You’ve probably heard it, “you have to exercise at a lower intensity to burn more fat… to get in the fat-burning zone.” guess what, it’s a myth!  Moderate intensity exercise actually burns more calories in a given time period. For example, you may burn 200 calories during a 30 minute low intensity exercise session and 300 calories during a 30 minute moderate intensity exercise session. Bottom line, burning more calories is better for weight loss. Moderate intensity exercise increases your basal metabolic rate (BMR) more than lower intensity exercise. This means that you’ll burn more calories 24 hours-a-day.

Top Nutritional Tips for Weight Loss

Tips for getting you off to a great start -

(1)  Don’t go on a Diet – make a lifestyle change that you stick to. 

(2)  Don’t go Hungry – Don’t let hunger get in the way of your weight loss. 

(3)  Keep Moving – If you want to supercharge your slimming, it’s a good idea to be more active too. As well as burning extra calories, exercise will help to tone muscles and lift your mood, so you’ll look good and feel great.

More helpful tips -

Eat more, weigh less

Focus on eating more of the ‘good’ things and it should automatically help you eat less of the ‘bad’ things. For example, boosting your intake of water and vegetables will help you eat less fatty and sugary foods because they’ll help you feel fuller for longer. 

Check Portion Sizes

To shift those kilos, it’s likely you’ll need to reduce your serving sizes as well as make some smart food swaps to cut calories. Even ‘healthy’ foods such as brown rice, wholemeal bread, chicken, fish and low-fat dairy products contain calories so you may need to limit your portions.

When you first start out, it’s a good idea to weigh portions of foods like rice, pasta, cereal, cheese, meat, fish and chicken rather than completing your food diary with a ‘guesstimated’ weight! 

Weigh once, then go!

Jumping on the scales several times a day will do little to keep you motivated. Most people’s weight fluctuates dramatically throughout the day as fluid intakes change – often making it look as though you’ve gained 2kg between 8am and 8pm!

Weigh yourself just once a week, at the same time of day – most people prefer first thing in the morning – and wearing the same clothing.

Learn How to Have a Slimmer, Healthier Future  

‘Going on a diet’ infers you start on a particular day and finish on a particular day.  Once your ‘diet’ is finished you return to the eating habits that made you pile on the kilos in the first place!

If you want to lose weight – and keep it off – it’s important to focus on changing your eating habits long term and learning how to eat for a slimmer, healthier future.

This doesn’t mean you can never again eat cream cakes or your favourite dish from the takeaway, just that you’ll know how to manage portion sizes and frequency to prevent weight gain. Use our tools to learn and kickstart longer-term healthy eating habits that you can sustain, and enjoy, for life.

Understanding ‘hunger pains’

Feeling hungry or experiencing ‘hunger pains’ is not always a sign that you are actually hungry because your stomach is empty.

Drink a glass of plain water before you eat anything (we can sometimes confuse hunger with thirst).

 Studies have shown that after three hours, our bodies need a new input of food in order to run efficiently and burn more calories and fat.  If we eat every three hours, we turn off a built-in hunger switch designed to slow down the rate at which we burn calories and fat.

Experiencing hunger, especially when you first start a new way of eating, is quite normal.  After months or years of constantly overindulging and never really feeling hungry, it’s easy to forget what that gnawing, empty sensation in our stomach feels like.  The key is to learn to recognise the sensation, not be scared by it, and then deal with it appropriately. Before eating, identify how hungry you really are: rank your hunger on a scale of one to 10, where one is fully satisfied and 10 is starving. Only reach for a snack when your hunger ranks at seven or above.

Breakfast like a King

HAVE breakfast within one hour of getting up, to kick-start calorie burning. Breakfast is considered an important meal because it breaks the overnight fasting period, replenishes your supply of glucose and provides other essential nutrients to keep your energy levels up throughout the day.  Your brain needs glucose from food – especially good carbs – in order to work well.  No breakfast means a brain-energy slump by mid-morning.

Studies at the University of Leeds found that eating earlier in the day helps to prevent people from getting hungry, losing control and overeating in the evening. But what if you never feel hungry in the morning? If you can last until mid morning or lunchtime before eating, you’re probably having too much to eat in the evening. By spreading meals evenly throughout the day – and always eating breakfast – you’ll feel satisfied for longer and be less likely to give in to snack attacks.

Don’t skip meals – eat every three hours

You are less likely to crave comfort foods if your blood sugar levels are regularly topped up.

Skipping meals will send blood sugar levels crashing with the result that you’ll soon be reaching for your favourite foods – and while you might love a nutritious plate of chicken stir fry, chances are you’ll be too hungry to prepare and cook it, and instead fill up on a king-size bar of chocolate.

Studies have shown that after three hours, our bodies need a new input of food in order to run efficiently and burn more calories and fat.  If we eat every three hours, we turn off a built-in hunger switch designed to slow down the rate at which we burn calories and fat.

Weight loss isn’t the only benefit. Studies show that people who eat six or more times a day have lower cholesterol than people who eat less often. In addition:

• More frequent meals increase your metabolism, which is desirable.
• More frequent meals decrease your appetite.
• As you are eating more often (and a set number of calories) your body doesn’t go into the craving mode.
• You can better measure your progress in desired weight maintenance, and make necessary adjustments.
• It is easier to plan meals when you know exactly when you are going to eat.
• This type of eating becomes the norm and as such when you deviate (a weekly eat day including a night at a restaurant, or holidays) from the norm, it is easier to get back to where you want to be.
• It trains your stomach to accept smaller meals and to be satisfied with them.
• It commits you to a healthier life style (in conjunction with exercise) which allows you to always be on top of your physical progress.

Eat slowly

The brain requires around 20 minutes to receive the signal you are full, so no matter how much you eat during this time, your satiety signal won’t come any sooner. That’s why it’s a good idea to eat slowly.

Having a low-fat starter is a great idea if you’re trying to lose weight as it takes time to eat and will reduce your appetite for the main course. It also explains why it’s a good idea to wait a while before deciding whether you really want a dessert or a second helping.

Try these tips to slow down the speed at which you eat:

• use chop sticks instead of a knife and fork – you can’t get as much food onto chopsticks as you can a fork so your meal will take longer to eat.
• serve food in a bowl so that it stays hotter for longer – chances are the food in the bottom will still be so hot you won’t be able to gulp down the last few mouthfuls.
• don’t watch TV or read while you’re eating – if you’re distracted at mealtimes, chances are you’ll shove food into your mouth without paying any attention to it.
• chew each mouthful slowly – if you find this difficult, set yourself a target of 10 bites per mouthful before swallowing.
• put your knife and fork down between mouthfuls – it’s the oldest trick in the book, but it works!

Think before your drink!

Before grabbing something to eat, check whether you’re really thirsty rather than hungry. It’s easy to confuse thirst and hunger with the result that many people grab a snack or fill their plate for a second time when what they really need is a glass of water.

Water is needed for every chemical reaction in the body, including burning fat. And not only will it help to fill you up, it’ll work wonders for your skin and hair. Try drinking 2 glasses of water first thing in the morning to kick–start your metabolism.

Water requirements are different for all people.  According to recent research, the average sedentary man should consume at least 2.9 L of water a day, and the average sedentary women at least 2.2 L per day.  About one third of this will come from food. 

Sports Drinks such as Gatorade, Powerade etc were developed for athletes to assist in maintaining hydration and energy levels during exercise.  These types of drinks are suitable for athletes involved in regular exercise and should always be consumed according to the instructions on the pack.  Cold plain water should be the first drink of choice for individuals involved in basic fitness programs.

Cut down on caffeine

If you’re in the habit of drinking loads of caffeinated drinks because you think they’ll rev up your metabolism, think again. Everyone knows that caffeine gives you a boost, but it is a stimulant that won’t provide lasting energy.  In fact, too much of it will make you feel exhausted and jittery.  Research studies have found that too much caffeine in the form of diet cola, tea and coffee might have the opposite effect and leave you feeling more hungry. In some studies high caffeine intakes have also been found to prepare the body for storing fat whenever food is eaten. Limit your intake of caffeinated drinks (2-3 per day).

Water is the best thirst-quencher to prevent hunger and keep your hydrated; it transports oxygen to your cells, removes waste, and protects your joints and organs…. so drink it up! 

Pack in the protein

Eating plenty of foods rich in the amino acid tryptophan may help to curb cravings for comfort foods. This is because tryptophan (a building block for protein) is used to make serotonin.

Bottom line: the more tryptophan in our diets, the more serotonin we make, the happier we feel and the less likely we are to constantly feel hungry and crave comfort food.

Rich sources of tryptophan include red meat, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, cheese, nuts and seeds. But to avoid breaking the calorie bank, opt for lean meat, skinless chicken, reduced-fat cheeses and avoid frying.